Monday Night Matchups

[RugbyMuffin]

Our game vs. the Niners on Monday Night should be a high scoring affair. Looking at the matchups both teams should be able pass at their leasure but I think the Cardinals will be able to run the ball more effectively.

On Offense:

Cards OL vs Niners DL:

I give the nod to the Cardinals here. The Niners have a patch work NT and Bryant Young is not getting any younger. If we are really going to be a power running team then we should be very effective against the Niners here. On passing downs I think it is all about where Manny Lawson is, in regards to his maturation to the NFL game. He could be a problem against Gandy.


Cards WR/TE vs Niners CB/S:

The Niners will have their hands full against the Arizona passing attack. Nate Clements vs Fitzgerald will be fun to watch. But Harris vs. Boldin, or when Boldin is in the slot will be a huge advantage. When we go 3 WR then we are really going to be at an advantage with Michael Lewis/LB covering Q, or Bryant Johnson.

Cards RB vs. Niners LB:

Edge, and Shipp will be fine as long as the O-Line blocks. Willis, Derek Smith and Brandon Moore are solid players. I would say this is a push, unless Edge shows a little more than he has in the past as a Cardinal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cards DL vs Niners OL:

The Niners have a really good OL. They should be giving us problems all day long. I do believe that Watson, Branch, Dockett, and Smith will do well against the run, but our pass rush will be no where to be found.


Cards DB/S vs. Niners WR/TE:

Versus any other team the Niners would be a push or outmatched at this position. I give the Niners the edge here for one player. Darrall Jackson is a bonafide Cardinal killer. Anaz Battle is a non-factor. And Vernon Davis is a problem with no solution, since I don't think our FS, or LB's can stay with him.

Cards LB vs Niners RB:

This goes to the Cardinals. The Cardinals have done well against Frank Gore who is a little banged up right now with his hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cardinals QB vs 49'ers QB:

Both defenses will be running a 3-4 defense. Which is designed to confuse the opposing QB by hiding coverages and blitzes. I give this advantage to Hollywood. Alex Smith may be the better athlete, but Leinart (aka Hollywood) has a better head for the game. It will be interesting to see how Alex Smith plays without the help of Norv Turner.


Let's go Cardinals! I am ready for the season.

 

[JeffGollin]

Nice job. Biggest trouble scoping out matchups early in the season is that (a) scheming is a key factor, and we haven't seen everything the Niner's got let alone what we've got and (b) another key component of success is how well individual players play together.

So while player vs. player matchups are important, so too are strategy and unit cohesion/execution.

Looking toward Monday night is like anticipating the opening of a big Christmas present and wondering whether it will contain an I-Phone or whether it will contain "switches & coal."

 

[The Dude]

Our game vs. the Niners on Monday Night should be a high scoring affair. Looking at the matchups both teams should be able pass at their leasure but I think the Cardinals will be able to run the ball more effectively.

On Offense:

Cards OL vs Niners DL:

I give the nod to the Cardinals here. The Niners have a patch work NT and Bryant Young is not getting any younger. If we are really going to be a power running team then we should be very effective against the Niners here. On passing downs I think it is all about where Manny Lawson is, in regards to his maturation to the NFL game. He could be a problem against Gandy.

Edge = Cards, But it will be very close. Bryant Young might not be getting any younger but he still plays at a high level. We have a lot of depth in our defensive line and be ready to see a lot of rotations in the 1st/2nd/3rd down packages. On Passing downs i expect to see Fields - Franklin/Soap - McDonald. This group gives us the best opportunity to rush the passer. Then it leaves 1 on 1 match-ups between Banta - Cain vs. Brown and Lawson vs. Gandy, these match-up i believe we can win.

Cards WR/TE vs Niners CB/S:

The Niners will have their hands full against the Arizona passing attack. Nate Clements vs Fitzgerald will be fun to watch. But Harris vs. Boldin, or when Boldin is in the slot will be a huge advantage. When we go 3 WR then we are really going to be at an advantage with Michael Lewis/LB covering Q, or Bryant Johnson.

Edge = Cards, Although i think Clement's is going to have a good game covering fitz, Boldin and Johnson are way to physical for Harris and Spencer to handle. Also to avoid exploiting Lewis's coverage skills (or lack there of), when you guys move to spread formations we will put a combination of Roman/Spencer/Hudson on Johnson. The only way we can defend ourselves from spread formations, and 3 wide set's is too play a lot of deep nickel packages. Regarding TE's i have full confidence that anyone of our linebackers can cover Pope. I do not see him being a factor in the game.

Cards RB vs. Niners LB:

Edge, and Shipp will be fine as long as the O-Line blocks. Willis, Derek Smith and Brandon Moore are solid players. I would say this is a push, unless Edge shows a little more than he has in the past as a Cardinal.

Edge = 49ers, While Edge is still a playmaker his offensive line is a bit shaky and even if Edge and Co. get past the second level Moore, Smith, Ulbrich, and Willis are all fantastic run defenders but line really needs to step up and tighten up the run defense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cards DL vs Niners OL:

The Niners have a really good OL. They should be giving us problems all day long. I do believe that Watson, Branch, Dockett, and Smith will do well against the run, but our pass rush will be no where to be found.

Edge = 49ers, Our line should be able to dominate the entire game. This line in terms of run blocking is easily in the top 5 in that category. After all this is the same line that helped Gore to the nfc rushing title. Our Pass protection is a bit inconsistent but no one on the Cardinal's scare me enough to make me think that they will have an impact on the game.

Cards DB/S vs. Niners WR/TE:

Versus any other team the Niners would be a push or outmatched at this position. I give the Niners the edge here for one player. Darrall Jackson is a bonafide Cardinal killer. Anaz Battle is a non-factor. And Vernon Davis is a problem with no solution, since I don't think our FS, or LB's can stay with him.

Edge = 49ers, With a rejuvenated WR core finally we have some receivers to work with. Like what Muffin said, Jackson is a cardinal killer and him and Alex have been working a rapport together since the draft. Battle has proven to be a clutch receiver that will go over the middle and make the catch. The one person i think everyone is forgetting about is Lelie, kinda has fallen of the map a bit but no one on the field can match his long speed. I don't think Hood will be able to contain Jackson, Green will win the match-up against Battle, Rolle (if he isn't put back into the starting line-up by then) will not match Lelie's speed and quickness. I shouldn't even mention Vernon Davis. Who is going to cover him? Dansby? No. Wilson? No. Blackstock? No. Holt? No. Vernon is every defensive coordinators nightmare.

Cards LB vs Niners RB:

This goes to the Cardinals. The Cardinals have done well against Frank Gore who is a little banged up right now with his hand.

Edge = 49ers, I will take Gore and our line over the cards linebackers any day. Frank's injury was blessing in disguised, he got held out of all the pre-season games and now he has fresh legs going into the season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cardinals QB vs 49'ers QB:

Both defenses will be running a 3-4 defense. Which is designed to confuse the opposing QB by hiding coverages and blitzes. I give this advantage to Hollywood. Alex Smith may be the better athlete, but Leinart (aka Hollywood) has a better head for the game. It will be interesting to see how Alex Smith plays without the help of Norv Turner.

Push. People put way too much emphasis on Norv leaving, the system that he ran was extremely simple and we are going to continue running it for Alex's development. And it's not like we are going to miss the vanilla play-calling and predictable game planning. Norv is a great teacher but sometimes is overrated as a OC. Both QB's have a lot to prove and i think they will perform at a very high level come monday night.

Let's go Cardinals! I am ready for the season.

 

[PoolBoy]

i wanna see helmet on hand to frank gore all day long (to the football god believers, im not hoping to injure him, just to make him fumble)

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Thanks.

That was a good read.

 

[Redsz]

Since we are doing postional breakdowns, I have it as...

Offense:

49ers:
RB, LG, LT, TE.

Cardinals:
QB, WR, RG,

With it dead even at FB, C and RT.

Defense (assuming it's the 3-4):

49ers:
CB

Cardinals:
NT, DE, ILB, S.

Dead even at OLB.

 

[The Dude]

Since we are doing postional breakdowns, I have it as...

Offense:

49ers:
RB, LG, LT, TE.

Cardinals:
QB, WR, RG,

With it dead even at FB, C and RT.

Defense (assuming it's the 3-4):

49ers:
CB

Cardinals:
NT, DE, ILB, S.

Dead even at OLB.

Justin Smiley > Deuce Lutui

Smiley is widely considered one of the best pulling guards and is a dominate run blocker. I take our center Hietman over Al johnson any day. Don't kid yourself we will win the individual battle at offensive line (maybe not at right tackle). And assuming we are both running the 3-4 i take us but not by much. We have three years running this system although with not as much success as we like but this year we will finally have the right personnel to run the 3-4 (but it remains to be seen if they can be effective). I give the cardinals an edge when it comes to Right Tackle, Safety, Quarterback, and Receiver. With it being even when it comes to outside linebackers. I think we are a little bit more ahead in everything else.

 

[Redsz]

Sorry Dude, but as run blockers your line has proven to be better. But not as pass protectors. We threw the ball 100 more times than the 9ers did and still had the same amount of sacks. I call it a wash, as our lines (respectivley) suit our tendencies on offense.

Defensivley, you have better corners, but I don't think you have the edge on defense for a few reasons:

-Our D-line is more active against the run and better at getting after the passer.

-Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby form a very good tandem at ILB. Last time I checked Derek Smith is not better than these two. Until Willis matures I believe we have the edge here.

-Adrian Wilson is one of the best saftey's in the NFL.

 

[The Dude]

Sorry Dude, but as run blockers your line has proven to be better. But not as pass protectors. We threw the ball 100 more times than the 9ers did and still had the same amount of sacks. I call it a wash, as our lines (respectivley) suit our tendencies on offense.

Defensivley, you have better corners, but I don't think you have the edge on defense for a few reasons:

-Our D-line is more active against the run and better at getting after the passer.

-Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby form a very good tandem at ILB. Last time I checked Derek Smith is not better than these two. Until Willis matures I believe we have the edge here.

-Adrian Wilson is one of the best saftey's in the NFL.

I guess we will see come Monday night!

 

[JeffGollin]

The Niners present more than a position vs. position matchup challenge for the Cardinals.

A-Dub can't cover both Vernon Davis (as a receiver) and Frank Gore (as both a runner and receiver) at the same time. It will be up to Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes to help out Adrian, and our corners will have to take responsibility for handling Darrell Jackson, Battle and Lelie, with Holt making certain we don't give up the big play between the goal posts.

Offensively, I think the most intriguing battles will be (a) Terrelle Smith vs. Patrick Willis (on ISO blocks) and (b) Levi Brown vs. any one of the four DE/LB's (depending on who they bring) - Lawson, Moore, Banta-Cain or Willis.

 

[CardLogic]

Offensively, I think the most intriguing battles will be (a) Terrelle Smith vs. Patrick Willis (on ISO blocks).

Advantage: (Or should I say Edge, ) Cardinals!